Childbirth under attack: how women and babies became targets in conflicts around the world

TL;DR

Thirty women were sheltering in a Saudi maternity hospital in El Fasher, Sudan, when armed soldiers reportedly killed over 460 patients and companions.
A Guardian investigation and data from Insecurity Insight show nearly 300 attacks on maternity care facilities, staff, and pregnant women in the past three years.
Most attacks occurred in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of pregnant women are trapped in war zones.
At least 68 midwives, obstetricians, and gynaecologists have been killed, 15 kidnapped, and 101 arrested while assisting births.
Attacks on reproductive healthcare are described as a pattern of reproductive violence and can be considered acts of genocide.
Maternity and neonatal facilities have been damaged or destroyed in Ukraine, and in Gaza, women are giving birth in unsafe conditions due to shortages.
In the DRC, shelling hit a neonatal ward, killing mothers, babies, and nurses.
In Myanmar, medical facilities have been bombed, and healthcare workers and patients arrested, killed, or injured.
Lack of accountability has created a 'culture of impunity' for those targeting maternity care.
Medical facilities can lose protected status under Geneva conventions if used for acts deemed 'harmful to the enemy'.

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